Gunmen Attack Police Area Command, Kill Inspector In Kogi

Gunmen, on Friday, unleashed terror attack on a Police Area Command office at Eika-Ohizenyi in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing one inspector on duty.

The murdered officer was identified simply as Mr Jibril popularly known as Yellow.

As it were, this attack would be the second in less than one month as the Adavi police station had earlier been attacked by bandits under in early June and three police officers were killed.

It was learnt that the gunmen numbering seven invaded the station on the outskirts of the community at about 12 midnight on Friday and opened gunfire on the station and then brought the building down with a bomb.

A resident in the area identified as Mallam Momoh Abubakar, said that the attackers stormed the station at 12:15 a.m.

He said the first bomb they threw into the station made a heavy sound that woke many residents who were sleeping while the second bomb brought down part of the station’s building.

He added that the attackers had a field day as they operated for more than two hours without any interference either from security agents or the people of the community.

Abubakar also revealed that the only police officer on duty was killed in the process of the attack while the only operational vehicle in the police station was also bombed.

He said bullets perforated windows of the Eika community central mosque and a Catholic church near the police station during the attack.

In his words, “I am using this medium to appeal to security agents to be proactive and respond quickly to this type of incident because the gunmen spent more than two hours operating freely without any interference.

“The first attack of the station occurred on Friday and this second one which happened after five years also took place on Friday and to our surprise, nobody has been arrested in connection to the attack.

“As I am talking to you now there is serious fear and apprehension in Eika community as people remained indoors for fear of being attacked by gunmen. We are appealing to the government to beep its searchlight in this area because the attack is becoming unbearable.”

The corpse of the slain police officer has been taken to Obangede General hospital’s mortuary.

Meanwhile, men of the State Police Command visited the scene of the attack for first-hand information.

The Spokesman for the police, William Ovye Aya, said, in a statement issued on Friday, that the Commissioner of Police, Edward Egbuka, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

He noted that the commissioner has directed for the deployment of additional operational assets consisting of Operatives of the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, Quick Response Unit, State Intelligence Bureau in synergy with other security agencies to restore normalcy in the area.

He revealed that part of the Area Command Office was razed by dynamite used by the attackers.

“A Police Inspector died in the exchange of fire with the hoodlums, before the Area Commander and a detachment of Military in the area reinforced to the scene of the incident, and the attackers fled,” the statement stated.